Large amounts of personal data possibly stolen in Change Healthcare cyberattack

Editor's Note

Personal information about a “substantial portion of people in America” could be at risk from the February 21 cyberattack on UnitedHealth’s Change Healthcare division, The Associated Press reported April 23.

Although the company reports no signs of full medical histories or charts were released, notifying all who were affected could require several months of analysis, AP reports. Although the company says it cannot offer specifics on the impact to individual data, it is taking questions via a website and call center and continuing to monitor the internet and dark web.

As of April 22, UnitedHealth was still restoring services disrupted by the attack, which disrupted Change Healthcare’s capability to submit and process insurance claims, AP reports. Pharmacy services and medical claims were reportedly back to near-normal levels, while the payment process was back to about 86% of pre-attack levels. The first-quarter $872 million hit could grow beyond $1.5 billion for the year, company officials say.